Plants & Trees Encyclopedia

Tarragon — Tarragon or dragon’s-wort (Artemisia dracunculus L.) is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae related to wormwood. Corresponding to its species name, a common term for the plant is “dragon herb.” It is native to a wide area of the Northern Hemisphere from easternmost Europe across central and eastern Asia to western North America, and south to northern …

Taro — Taro (from Tahitian or other Polynesian languages), more rarely kalo (from Hawaiian), is a tropical plant grown primarily as a vegetable food for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. Taro is closely related to Xanthosoma and Caladium, plants commonly grown as ornamentals, and like …

Tansy — Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant of the aster family that is native to temperate Europe and Asia. It has been introduced to other parts of the world and in some cases has become invasive. It is also known as Common Tansy, Bitter Buttons, Cow Bitter, Mugwort, or Golden Buttons. Tansy is a flowering herb …

Tangerine — The tangerine (Citrus reticulata) is an orange or red colored citrus fruit. They are smaller than most oranges, and the skin of some varieties peels off more easily. The taste is often less sour, or tart, than that of an orange. Good quality tangerines will be firm to slightly hard, heavy for their size, and pebbly-skinned with no …

Tamarack — Tamarack Larch, or Tamarack or American Larch (Larix laricina) is a species of larch native to northern North America, mainly in Canada, from eastern Yukon and Inuvik, Northwest Territories east to Newfoundland, and also south into the northeastern United States from Minnesota to West Virginia; there is also a disjunct population in central Alaska. The name Tamarack is …

Sycamore, American — The American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), also known as American plane, Occidental plane, and Buttonwood, is one of the species of Platanus native to North America. It is usually called Sycamore in North America, a name which can also refer to other types of tree. A sycamore tree is easily recognized by its mottled exfoliating bark. The bark …

Sweet Potato — The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), commonly called a yam in parts of the United States is a crop plant whose large, starchy, sweet tasting tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato (Solanum tuberosum). It is even more …

Sweet Pea — Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is a flowering plant in the genus Lathyrus in the family Fabaceae (legumes), native to the eastern Mediterranean region from Sicily east to Crete. It is an annual climbing plant, growing to a height of 1-2 m where suitable support is available. The leaves are pinnate with two leaflets and a terminal tendril, …

Sweet Gum — Sweetgum (Liquidambar) is a genus of four species of flowering plants in the family Altingiaceae, though formerly often treated in the Hamamelidaceae. They are all large, deciduous trees, 25-40 m tall, with palmately lobed leaves arranged spirally on the stems. The flowers are small, produced in a dense globular inflorescence 1-2 cm diameter, pendulous on a 3-7 …

Sternbergia — Sternbergia lutea (Autumn Daffodil, Fall daffodil, Lily-of-the-field, Winter daffodil, Yellow Autumn crocus) is a flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, which is used as an ornamental plant. The winter daffodil, or lily-of-the-field, Sternbergia lutea, mentioned in the Bible, produces waxen, golden yellow flowers in autumn and grows in dry rocky areas.